To Serve Man
by Minunlike
Summary: To know what it is that humanity values most... That is my only wish.


"Welcome to the Chinese Diner Aiya."

I addressed the man across the counter in a bored monotone. He looked at me strangely as he quickly recited his order. As with all other men before him, his eyes never met mine. Instead, they were transfixed on the area below.

_Typical._

Today, this naive man had chosen to tackle the "Rainy Day Challenge", an aptly named dish that they say no man in this city has ever been able to finish. Sighing, I went to assemble the monstrous meat tower, receiving a reprimand from the manager because I had failed to use the restaurant's "catch phrase".

Once the meaty pile was ready to serve, I carried it out to the man, who snatched it up and immediately began stuffing his face. The sight of this grown man shoveling food into his mouth was quite a spectacle.

...

Why did I suffer these fools, you ask? It is because I wanted to know them better.

You see, as a goddess, I want nothing more than to help these people achieve happiness. But in order to do this, I must know what they truly consider happiness to be. Therefore, I must blend in with them and observe their mannerisms. Only then can I give them what they desire.

However, all the humans I've seen so far seem to want nothing more than to wallow in their own misery. Displays of kindness are met with cynicism, if they even happen at all.

_Is this really what brings them happiness?_

_..._

I had this in mind as I watched the man push his unfinished meal away from him. Grudgingly, I took the manager's request to heart.

"Aiyaaaa! Too bad!"

The man gave me an odd look as he handed over his money. Without another word, he stood and walked out of the restaurant. As another man came in, I prepared to complete the cycle all over again.

Needless to say, I did not last very long at that establishment. Before long, I moved on to another place where I would continue my study.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Souzai Daigaku. May I take your order?"<p>

By this time I had learned that humans did not respond well to stoicism, so I did my best to appear cheerful. The woman in front of me, however, made no effort to do so.

"Yeah, I want a steak skewer. And you better not burn it, you hear me?" The woman demanded with an air of superiority.

"Yes, ma'am," was my reply. I relayed her order to the owner of the tiny shack, who went to have another worker prepare it. The woman stared at me impatiently, as if she expected me to magically conjure her food that very instant. Now, I might have been able to fulfill that expectation were I not striving to remain inconspicuous.

I must say that working there was an improvement from the noisy diner. It was quite peaceful there, and there were fewer lecherous men about. Aside from myself, only two people worked there: An average middle-aged woman (the owner) and a rather unsightly young man. The owner was quite kind to me, and the boy was indifferent, although he often abandoned his work to start arguments with the owner over trivial matters. The majority of customers were pleasant, although I still had to endure the occasional unpleasable person, such as this woman.

The boy brought out a freshly-prepared steak skewer, which I took and handed to the woman. After studying it carefully, she threw it onto the ground in a swift motion.

"This is seared black!" she shouted. "Are you freaking stupid? Don't you know how to follow the customer's orders?"

I made sure to be polite, even though I knew she was not deserving of it. "I apologize. I'll make sure that it's made properly this time."

I went to inform the owner of our error, but she was too busy arguing with the boy over cutting raw meat. With a sigh, I began to prepare it myself, figuring that no one would be any the wiser.

As I brought the perfectly cooked meat to the woman, she snatched it and left without giving any thanks.

Shaking my head at her boldness, I went back to check on the other two. However, the owner was absent, and the boy was hunched over a garbage can, having left a slab of partially cut meat unattended.

It was that day that I decided I had overstayed my welcome there. I needed to continue my observation elsewhere.

* * *

><p>This was the one occupation that I truly enjoyed. The atmosphere was peaceful, the work was simple, and I was able to interact with all manner of humans.<p>

I prepared myself as I saw another car pulling into the station.

"Hi, welcome to Moel!" I called cheerfully to the man driving in.

"Save the chitchat and just fill me up," he replied. I obliged without hesitation.

The man stood and smoked a cigarette as he waited for his car to be filled up. I overheard him muttering to himself.

"...Stupid backwater town...of all the fuckin' places for them to send me..."

Once I was finished doing as he ordered, I walked over and stood next to him.

"So you're new here?"

The man angrily spoke back. "Yeah, what of it?"

I smiled at him. "I'll have you know that this is actually a very nice town." Despite the things I had witnessed here, this was truly how I felt. "I hope you'll be happy here."

"I hope you'll mind your own goddamn business," the man retorted. I did not let this deter me.

"Sorry for being so nosy, Sir. But you see, all I want is to make sure my customers are happy, so I couldn't just stand by and watch you carry on like that."

"You know what would make me happy?" he replied, exhaling a cloud of cigarette smoke. "If everyone on this planet would just fuckin' _disappear_."

I eyed him curiously, taking his statement into consideration. However, it seemed he wasn't finished.

"And I bet that's what everyone else wants, too. Sure, they lie to themselves and say life's just peachy, but I bet you that they just want it all to be over and done with."

Hearing this, I came upon a realization.

_This was the man who would help me achieve my goal._

I gave him a smile. "In any case, I hope your stay here is at least a little enjoyable for you." Reaching out, I took his hand in a friendly handshake.

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered as he climbed into his car and set out to do my will.


End file.
